Post #6676

🚀DeepSeek, the AI startup that defied big budgets, is finally raising capital DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab known for building top-tier models without billion-dollar war chests, is reportedly seeking outside funding for the first time. The company is targeting at least $300 million at a valuation above $10 billion. Until now, founder Liang Wenfeng self-funded DeepSeek through his hedge fund High-Flyer Capital Management, turning down offers from major Chinese VCs and tech giants. That made DeepSeek one of the few frontier AI labs operating independently. Now, even the efficiency leader appears to need scale capital. ⚠️What Changed: Several pressures are building fast: • Key talent is leaving. Core V3 contributor Luo Fuli reportedly joined Xiaomi. • Researcher Guo Daya moved to ByteDance for higher compensation. DeepSeek’s anticipated V4 model has faced delays. • Engineers are working to optimize models for Huawei Ascend chips, reducing reliance on Nvidia hardware. Competition is intensifying: • ByteDance’s Doubao has already surpassed DeepSeek in monthly active users. • Big Tech players in China and the US are pouring billions into AI infrastructure, chips, and talent. • Frontier AI is becoming less about pure model efficiency and more about compute, distribution, and staying power. DeepSeek proved lean teams can compete. This raise may determine whether they can stay in the race. Source. @aipost🏴